#daniel padilla

Ian & Anthony + Ian/Daniel - twin au

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Ian and Anthony sit together at the park near Anthony’s house. It’s a familiar hangout for the two of them wandering aimlessly around Carmichael and always seemingly finding themselves at the park. They are seated near the top of the structure, legs dangling off the edge.

“Can I tell you something?” Ian asks suddenly, breaking the shell of silence that had built around them.

“You can tell me anything, dude,” Anthony says, “we’re best friends.”

Ian smiles and plays with the ragged edge of his jacket sleeve.

“Since we’re best friends can you promise you won’t like…freak out or get pissed off?”

Anthony tilts his head in confusion. “Why would I get pissed off?”

Ian bites his lip, looks nervous, and his nerves make some kick up in Anthony too. When Ian said he had to tell him something Anthony hadn’t thought it might be bad news, that it might be something that he wouldn’t want to hear.

“What is it, Ian? You got a girlfriend or something? Is it Kayla? I don’t have a crush on her anymore, dude.”

Ian shakes his head, hair slipping into his eyes. “It’s not Kayla.”

“So, you do have a girlfriend,” Anthony teases, “who is it? Have you finally kissed someone?”

Ian’s face is growing redder and redder by the second and Anthony only gets more curious.

“Come on, tell me. You said you would.”

“I’m trying!” Ian says, “you keep guessing.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll be quiet. Just…are you dating someone?”

Ian blushes a deeper shade of red and he nods and then shrugs like he isn’t sure.

“Kinda?”

Anthony lifts his hand for a high five and Ian warily high fives him.

“So, who is it?”

“Um…it’s…it’s Daniel.”

“Danielle?” Anthony says, humming, “I don’t know her.”

“No, not Danielle. It’s…Daniel…your Daniel.”

Anthony blinks. He looks at Ian and he waits for some punchline to come. He waits, but Ian isn’t laughing, and Anthony doesn’t understand what weird sort of joke or prank this is because it isn’t even funny, just really disturbing.

“My twin brother?”

Ian nods, his face now beet red.

“Ian, this isn’t funny anymore.”

Ian swallows thickly. “It’s not…not a joke.”

Then, it’s like it all hits Anthony at once and he stands up, like his reflexes sprung into action before he could even think or control his movement. Ian is looking at him in alarm, in fear, and the look makes Anthony feel sick.

“You’re…you’re gay?”

Ian shrinks in on himself, seems to let his hoodie swallow him up.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, you’re dating my brother! That’s pretty gay, Ian!” Anthony snaps.

Now, Ian jumps to his feet, and he looks around.

“Dude! Shut up! It’s a secret… I just told you because you’re my best friend and- “

“And because you’re dating my twin brother? He looks just like me, dude! That’s sick! You think he’s hot? If you think he’s hot, then you think- “

“Stop!” Ian pleads, “Anthony, please stop. I don’t know what happened. I just…last time I spent the night you fell asleep, and Daniel and I started talking…”

“I don’t want to hear this,” Anthony says, a sweat breaking out across his skin. He can’t believe this. Ian. His best friend and Daniel…his twin brother? Daniel who didn’t like video games or the same shows and movies as he and Ian. Daniel dressed weirdly and had a bookshelf full of books that no one in their grade had ever heard of. Daniel who hangs out with the kids that write poetry and take art classes.

Why would Ian like Daniel? Why would Ian like guys at all?

 “Please,” Ian pleads, “you promised not to get mad.”

“Before I knew you were dating my brother! Did you guys kiss?”

Ian flushes a darker shade, and Anthony feels weird, feels sick. Maybe it’s not just the fact that Ian hadn’t told him, but that Daniel hadn’t either. He doesn’t know how long this has been going on, but he didn’t have a clue that Daniel liked boys or that he even had an interest in Ian. He and Daniel weren’t as close as they used to be and didn’t get along most of the time…but Ian is his best friend and Ian didn’t tell him… at least until now.

“I’m sorry,” Ian says, his tone pathetic and sad.

Anthony feels pangs of guilt shoot through him.

He’s sixteen and just found out his best friend and his twin brother are an item. He thinks he’s allowed to be a little shocked.

“You don’t have to apologize to him,” a familiar voice says from the ground at the base of the playground structure. Anthony looks down to see Daniel there. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Ian.”

Anthony looks at Ian. “Did you invite him?”

“No!” Ian says.

“He told me he was planning on telling you and I decided to come to make sure Ian was okay. He didn’t know.”

“Why wouldn’t Ian be okay?” Anthony snaps.

Daniel shrugs. “Didn’t know how you’d take the news.”

An anger burns bright in Anthony’s belly. “I’d never hurt, Ian!”

“But you’d call him gay like it’s an insult.”

Anthony blinks, that anger in him but he looks at Ian and then Daniel, and he feels so sick, so over it. He jumps down off the playground structure, feet aching from the landing. Daniel stands firm like he thinks Anthony might come at him, but he doesn’t.